Finish on AK 74...

[SilentStalker]

Ok, I got my first AK 74 in and I like it I guess but it's not what I expected for this price range. It was built by InRange and has a Nodak Spud receiver and some other goodies. I do not like the plastic shiny finish of the EG furniture at all but that can be easily changed. What concerns me the most is that the mags I got look like they have been through a war zone and maybe they have but the biggest concern is that the finish on this which is supposed to be professionally done looks like a spray paint job baked in an oven. I am told however that this is done because it is period correct. Is this true? I guess I was expecting a nice parkerized finish like one might find on an AR or something.

 

[akv3g4n]

I have a couple Waffen Werks AK74s that are built from Bulgarian kits and they are GunKoted Black. Very resilient and attractive finish. I have a dark gray Parkarized finish on my Tantal. I'll go for a nice finish over period correct on an AK.

You could always send it out to get refinished or do it yourself. I have heard one of the few complaints on the Arsenal AKs is their poor finish but haven't had any experience with them.

I think they have different standards in the Comm Bloc countries for acceptable metal and wood finishes on their weapons than we have in the US.

 

[Sam1911]

Haven't seen many parkerized AKs. ... Of course, I don't believe I've ever seen a pakerized AR, either.





Most AKs come with some sort of sprayed-on finish. The original finish often is easily stripped off with some fairly common solvents.

If yours is DuraCoated or Cerrakoated or Gunkoted (ie: any of the common sprayed-on and then baked or epoxy-cured finishes) that's about top of the line for an AK unless you get something much more intensive done yourself. (Parkerizing, hard chrome, etc.)

 

[carbine85]

Some of the AK builds that I have seen or owned have paint that will flake off. I've had good success with Brownell's Gun-Kote. They come out real nice. It's a lot easier then a park finish. The wood is easy. Strip, sand, pick your color and oil it.

 

[SilentStalker]

Haven't seen many parkerized AKs. ... Of course, I don't believe I've ever seen a pakerized AR, either.





Most AKs come with some sort of sprayed-on finish. The original finish often is easily stripped off with some fairly common solvents.

If yours is DuraCoated or Cerrakoated or Gunkoted (ie: any of the common sprayed-on and then baked or epoxy-cured finishes) that's about top of the line for an AK unless you get something much more intensive done yourself. (Parkerizing, hard chrome, etc.)

Sorry I meant to say anodized, not parkerized. However, parkerized would be nice to.

 

[wojownik]

My ROMAK-1 and Romak-2 both have factory parkerized/anodized/something-or-other finishes (same as the Romanian standard mil finish).

My Romy-G build came got a semi-gloss blued finish (US receiver).

My Saiga SGL has a glossy painted finish,

If you don't like your EG stippled furniture, I'd be interested in it - send me a PM if you're looking to part with it ... I was thinking of going with K-VAR plum furniture on my Romak-2, but have been mulling over doing an East-German look...

 

[ball3006]

What wojownik says is on mine........................chris3

 

[SilentStalker]

Can any of you all take some pics for me? I swear this thing looks like it has been spray painted and for as much as I paid for this thing it should not be. This cost me over a grand.

 

[briansmithwins]

The original Sov AKs were finished in paint over parkerizing. I've had mine Duracoated in semi-gloss black and like the way it looks. Any of the modern epoxy paints are tougher than the paint used by the commies.

Chinese AKs are normally blued.

BSW

 

[SilentStalker]

How much did you pay for that if you dont mind me asking? My thing is I already paid $1150 for this thing and am feeling like that was too expensive for the shape it is in. Pics are misleading. I mean its not too bad probably for what it is but its not the nice AR finish I am accustomed to. My thing is I just do not want to spend $2000 on an AK.

 

[wojownik]

The bottom one is an AK-74 variant (Romak-2 in factory "parkerized" finish).

The one above it is the Romy G build (by Citizens Armory in MO), with a decent blued finish. I tried to get it close to the AIMS configuation.

The top one is the Romak-1 (AK-47) again in factory park. Polish wood furniture.



There are tons of other AK pix on this forum if you search around a bit, just about every variant imaginable.

 

[HorseSoldier]

Here's an actual East German MPiK-74N that looked to me like it was brand new and unfired when my unit got it in 2005 or so (I assume it was never issued or used before German reunification made it surplus to requirements, etc.). A glossy baked on paint finish is period correct for that variant of the AK. The actual finish they use also wasn't terrifically durable -- that weapon and the several others we had started picking up scrapes, scratches, and dings pretty much as soon as we started using them on the range and with blanks as OPFOR weapons. A couple years on of pretty mild use and you'd have believed looking at them that they were battlefield bring backs from somewhere (don't think I have an "after" pic to go with the "before" one below that really shows enough detail to tell that).

 

[Deus Machina]

Every AK I've seen in person has a painted finish. It ranges from some of the cheap chippable stuff to the nice but obvious paint on the Saiga.

Think of it this way: It won't rust.

A lot of the steel the commies used doesn't take bluing well, and bluing has minimal rust-inhibiting properties anyway. Parkerizing was cheap enough but still needs to stay oiled or covered to prevent rust. Some manufacturers may not have even done that.

So, yes, for pretty much anything, paint will be correct. As long as it's not uneven, it's as good as anything Russian.